Festo's motion control parts become works-of-art
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Festo product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Oct 3, 2008
Random International, the specialist art collective, has developed an installation piece that uses light to create transient images on a large photosensitive canvas.
Designed to highlight the ephemeral nature of digital data, the installation, known as the Temporary Printing Machine, invites viewers to witness the creation and almost immediate decay of text and images and to question their relationship with such information sources.
The prototype Temporary Printing Machine was developed as the result of a joint commission from Creative Review magazine and Selfridges of London and formed a window display in this store.
Hannes Koch, one of the founders of Random International, said: 'This machine taught us a valuable lesson about designing for reliability.
'It had to perform continuously, day after day, which placed a considerable strain on its moving parts.
'As a consequence, when it came to designing its successor, we looked around for a manufacturer of industrial strength motion control components and chose Festo.' The final version of Random International's Temporary Printing Machine is being produced in a limited edition of 15, and makes extensive use of Festo automation components.
Each machine comprises a large canvas covered in a pigment that is reactive to ultra-violet light, a pair of linear actuators hidden behind the vertical frames and a horizontal scanning bar equipped with an array of UV LEDs.
A built-in raster processing system, synchronised to the vertical movement of the scanning bar, converts the images to pulses of LED drive current, one line at a time.
The overall frame size, scanning rate, image persistence and resolution vary according to customers' demands, but a typical machine measures 1.7 x 1.2 metres and is fitted with a 128-LED scanning bar to achieve a relatively coarse horizontal resolution for maximum artistic effect.
The images are monochromatic and generally have a persistence of about two minutes; as soon as an image has faded away it can be replaced by another of the same, or a completely new one, creating an infinite stream of appearing and disappearing data.
The two linear actuators are Festo DGE-RF electromechanical units.
These toothed belt axes feature an internal roller guide and are almost silent, making them ideal for this application.
They are well lubricated and there are sufficient grease reserves for 10,000 km of travel.
Even then, these can be replenished without having to reach into the housing.
The machine's horizontal scanning bar functions as a torsion coupling between the two actuators, with only one side driven.
Random International offers a choice of stepper and servo drives, depending on customers' preferences in terms of image refresh rate, smoothness and acoustic noise.
For installations that are intended to be hung in quiet environments, such as domestic living rooms, Festo's MTR-DCI intelligent servo motor is capable of very smooth, low noise operation.
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Contact Festo
Tel +44 1252 775000
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Festo cylinders employ linear-motor technology
Festo has launched two series of high-performance electric cylinders employing the company's tubular linear-motor technology. -
Festo cushioning offered on DSNU actuator
Festo has developed a self-adjusting pneumatic cushioning system, available as a build-to-order option for the company's DSNU series round-cylinder pneumatic actuators. -
Festo unveils linear motor based actuators
Festo has developed a class of electric actuators based on very high-performance linear motors. -
Festo solutions aid Guernsey water treatment plant
Guernsey Water has adopted various valve solutions recommended by Festo at one of the island's water treatment plants to improve the supply of drinking water to about 24,000 households and businesses. -
Festo valve for pneumatically-operated automation
Festo has launched the MS6-SV electrically-operated pneumatic soft-start and exhaust valve that provides safer start-up and reliable venting of compressed air supplies in the event of an emergency.
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